Known face seal assemblies for use in constructions having relatively rotating components, such as track roller assemblies of tracked machines, final drives, etc., typically comprise a pair of confronting seal rings of metal or other durable, hard material. The seal rings rotate relative to one another in face-to-face contact to provide a positive face seal, which retains lubricant and prevents foreign matter from reaching the internal bearing surfaces of the rotating assembly. Contact between the seal faces is maintained by a pair of resilient load rings which engage and press against each seal ring to thereby force the seal faces against one another. An example of such a seal assembly is described in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,046, issued Jun. 18, 1996, to Billy R. Bedford.
Under certain conditions, the force applied by the respective load rings can become unequal and the seal assembly can become "tipped", causing the seal faces to be tilted with respect to the axis of rotation. While this condition does not necessarily cause the seal to malfunction, it can limit the amount of misalignment the seal assembly can accommodate. Misalignment beyond this limited amount could cause the seal rings to separate, causing a temporary loss in sealing capability in which dirt and other abrasives would be allowed to reach the internally lubricated bearings of the rotating assembly.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.